Oh my goodness. Where does Gareth think that he is going with this one? What does he think he is doing typing out a modern British tribal type chant here in the recipes section? Has he totally flipped out this time? Read on and find out.
Well, I am certain that you have all either; eaten, heard of, or have read about Cornish pasties, and how it was robust enough to be carted down into the dim and murky depths of a Cornish tin mine. But did you know that that there was a Welsh coal mining version of these pasties? And that these were and are still called Oggies?

Traditionally Welsh Oggies, like their Cornish cousins were made of a pastry sufficient to withstand the rigours of the descent into the dark and gloomy depths of a coal mine, and that one end of the pastry case was not eaten; allowing the ravenous miner to consume the rest of the Oggy without the need to wash the coal dust, arsenic and the other nasty things found in a coal mine from his hands. The remaining piece of pastry being cast over the shoulder whilst loudly shouting out the word “Oggy!” to ward off the Devil, with a chorus of “Oi!” being returned by near by workmates; whether this chorus was also to ward off Beelzebub, or a direct reply to being squarely hit by a piece of flying pastry, warning the thrower to cease launching them in that direction is unclear.

When Lois & I attended the Square Festival at Danns place last July, we both enjoyed a couple of Oggies from the Welsh oggy van, as we waited between sets for the bands to come on. The oggies that we had were; Lamb Potato & Mint, and Sweet Potato, Leek and Goats Cheese, and they were both a wonderful filling delight as the chill arrived with dusk.

Anyway, Lois and I have been messing about in my kitchen again, and this what we've come up with and produced. Follow our recipes, or blaze a trail of your own; left overs would make a lovely filling lunchtime Oggie to take with you to work, etc.

Oggy Pastry:

Suitable for 4 large Oggies, or 6 medium ones;

12 ounces of plain flour.

3 ounces of Lard

3 Ounces of Butter (or block margarine)

A pinch of salt.

Cold water as required (we used about 14 teaspoons full).

1 Beaten Egg (for the glaze).

Method;

The pastry ingredients ready to go:

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Sifting the flour containing a pinch of salt:

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It helps to cut the butter and lard into small pieces prior to adding to the flour:

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Lightly rub the Butter and Lard into the flour with your finger tips, until a breadcrumb like texture is achieved. Gareth under tight supervision undertaking this bit.
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Add the water, and using your fingertips, work it well into the mixture to form a soft dough.

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Leave the pastry dough to rest for at least 30 minutes. This allows you the opportunity to prepare the fillings.

Sweet Potato, Leek & (Welsh) Goats Cheese filling.

I medium Sweet Potato; peeled and diced.

about 1/2 of a Leek; sliced

4 ounces of Hard (Welsh) Goats Cheese.

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Lightly steam the Leek and Sweet Potato; we found that the best way to do this was to put the vegetables into the steamer with the lid in place, over cold water. Bring the water to the boil, turn off the heat, and then leave the steamer undisturbed for 15 minutes.

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Time to return to making the Pastry case:

Half the pastry ball, and lightly dust the work surface with a sprinkling of flour; and not like me, the amount that JCBexcavator driver would be proud to pick up in the diggers bucket. ROFL

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Begin rolling the pastry; and keep turning it approx 1/3 of turn and continue rolling until you obtain an even thickness of about 1/8th inch or 3 mm.

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When the pastry is rolled, take a tea/side plate, and using a sharp knife cut a circle for each Oggy from the pastry.

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Beat an Egg, and put to one side for the moment.

Place the Steamed Sweet Potato, Leek and then top with the cubed Goats Cheese:

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Brush the circumference of the Pastry disc with the beaten Egg, fold the pastry over the filling, and then pinch and crimp them together with your finger tips.

Brush over the whole of the outside of the Oggy with beaten Egg yolk to make a glaze, and then use a knife to make 2 or 3 small slits either side. This is allows built up steam to escape during the baking process.

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Pre heat an oven to Gas Mark 6, or 200*C. Place the Oggies on greased tray, and bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, and until Golden Brown. Remove from the oven, and then either serve hot, or allow to cool so that it is perfect to take out for a packed lunch.

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Last edited by Gareth on Sat Sep 18, 2010 9:53 pm; edited 1 time in total

Heat 1 dessert spoon of Olive oil in a sauce pan, and soften the chopped onion, then remove them from the pan. Add the other 2 dessert spoons of Olive oil to the pan and fry off the Lamb mince to seal it. Add the diced peppers, and crushed garlic and fry off for 2-3 minutes.

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Add the other ingredients to the pan:

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Add a good Squeeze of Tomato Puree:

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Add the optional Fruit Vinegar:

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Add the Herbs and good grind of Black pepper:

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Prepare the pastry case, as outlined in my posting above, and place the filling onto the pastery, following the instructions above.